Magic prepare for West Coast road trip

Magic hope to stop 8-game losing streak on road

Everyone figured the entire season would be a struggle for the rebuilding Magic. A lot of assembly is required.

But isn't this piling on?

If it's not injuries, it's close, frustrating losses to contenders and pretenders.

Their losing streak having stretched to eight games, the Magic now must go on the road to play four times in nine days.

Safe to say that it's the most adversity they've faced so far.

The Magic (12-21) broke a three-game skid out on the road in early December, upsetting Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers and ultimately finishing the five-game junket at 3-2.

Shooting guard J.J. Redick not only says another trip might be what the club needs. He's even predicting wins, plural.

"I don't expect our team to give in to losing, to frustration," Redick said. "I expect us to continue to play hard, and we'll win some games. We'll turn it around. A road trip can bring you together a little bit, and our last road trip west did that.

"I think this can be good for us."

The Magic desperately need a win. Their last victory came on Dec. 19, in Orlando, a 90-83 triumph against the Washington Wizards, which proved costly.

Power forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis sustained a sprained left shoulder against the Wizards. The Magic haven't won a game since then, falling to Toronto, Utah, New Orleans, Washington, Toronto, Miami, Chicago and New York.

Davis was originally expected to miss between four and six weeks.

The Magic had a shot to win all those games except the Dec. 29 rematch against the Raptors, who pummeled them by 35. In a rematch against the Wizards the previous night, backup point guard E'Twaun Moore sprained his elbow in a fall and has missed the last four games.

Center-power forward Gustavo Ayón, who provided some size in Davis' absence, has missed two of the last three games with a deep thigh bruise.

It's the club's longest losing streak since the 2005-06 season, when the Magic also lost eight consecutive games.

As usual, the Magic's rookie coach, Jacque Vaughn, has tried to stay upbeat.

After an 114-106 loss to the Knicks on Saturday night, he said, "At the end, in the locker room, I told our guys that this is about different challenges throughout the course of the season and everyone wants to win. It's what makes us competitors.

"We did a lot of good things. Do I reference the score? No. Do I reference specifics in the game and how we stayed together throughout the course of the game, how we communicated and adjusted with each other. Those are things I'd mention."

The Magic have struggled in the late stretches of games during the losing streak or "winning time," as shooting guard Arron Afflalo calls it.

"We do a great job staying in games, competing. ... It's just down the stretch that two things stick out to me," Afflalo said. "It's our one-on-one defense, when they make the five-man (center) switch onto a guard, which is pretty much the last two or three minutes of all our losses. It's guys just going after Nik (Vucevic) and guys that are out of position."

Afflalo added that the clubs needs to "simplify" the offense late in games.

"Clearly, we have to learn how to win, if that makes sense. ... There are certain instances and points with the games that we can definitely fine-tune, simplify and be smarter about to put us in better position," he said.

The Magic open at Portland on Monday night, then face the Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday night.

They have two days off until they play the L.A. Clippers on Saturday afternoon. The Magic conclude the trip Monday night with a game against the Wizards in Washington, D.C.